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NFM or WFM
- Thread starter ke7vvt
- Start date
Below 29 mhz you can only use narrow band fm.On my rig fm changes to narrow on xmit and receive both automaticly.
Rich
that depends on the radio, icom 703 and 706 sellect narrow tx deviation when switched to narrow rx, the same with the ft8800/8900, other radios i have owned use fixed tx deviation and only switch rx filters,
wide has better fidelity but a worse signal to noise ratio and occupy more bandwidth,
weak signals in noise can often be heared better when you switch to narrow so long as they are not transmitting too wide for your narrow filter.
wide has better fidelity but a worse signal to noise ratio and occupy more bandwidth,
weak signals in noise can often be heared better when you switch to narrow so long as they are not transmitting too wide for your narrow filter.
You don't have much choice anymore. NFM is the one to use, at least in this country, that was changed several years ago, now mandatory. For normal voice, NFM works just fine. If you're going to do music (commercial stations) would benefit from WFM, but that's really about it. Most other services have gone to NFM too.
- 'Doc
- 'Doc
Is this because they're switching to digital as opposed to analog and the audio frequency range just isn't there in digital mode so there is no call for wfm?
I think this started to happened several years before things started to move to digital. I believe it was to allow more efficient use of the spectrum by allowing more stations to use the same amount of bandwidth.
If you bother to re-read my last post was asking about the commercial portion of W5LZ's post and not about the rinky dink portion of the amateur spectrum.
And if you would read what was actually written you would see that I made no reference to amateur radio but was answering based on what COMMERCIAL FM radios, meaning commercial BUSINESS radios and not BROADCASTING,has done. Using the word "commercial" can and does mean "business" while the word "broadcasting" means just that. Don't jump on ME just becauseYOU don't know something.
BTW BROADCAST FM radio can operate with a much narrower bandwidth and still sound good. North America is about the only place that still uses a really wide bandwidth. Most other countries switched to a much narrower spacing for exactly the reason I stated in my first post above, more stations in the same bandwidth. I think it is around 50 KHz or so instead of the 200 KHz spacing we use. I remember listening to FM stations while overseas that would be on like 89.15 or 92.25 MHz. Then again the AM stations in those same countries use 9 KHz spacing instead of 10 KHz. It is odd listening to an AM station on 1314 or 585 KHz.
That's why I asked w5lz and not you and nothing you've said up to this point answers my posted question so crawl back under your rock.And if you would read what was actually written you would see that I made no reference to amateur radio but was answering based on what COMMERCIAL FM radios, meaning commercial BUSINESS radios and not BROADCASTING,has done. Using the word "commercial" can and does mean "business" while the word "broadcasting" means just that. Don't jump on ME just becauseYOU don't know something.
BTW BROADCAST FM radio can operate with a much narrower bandwidth and still sound good. North America is about the only place that still uses a really wide bandwidth. Most other countries switched to a much narrower spacing for exactly the reason I stated in my first post above, more stations in the same bandwidth. I think it is around 50 KHz or so instead of the 200 KHz spacing we use. I remember listening to FM stations while overseas that would be on like 89.15 or 92.25 MHz. Then again the AM stations in those same countries use 9 KHz spacing instead of 10 KHz. It is odd listening to an AM station on 1314 or 585 KHz.
And btw all the commercial FM stations here sound like dog shit compared to the old analog stations so you're wrong in that respect also.
It's in the ears of the beholder.
And if you would read what was actually written you would see that I made no reference to amateur radio but was answering based on what COMMERCIAL FM radios, meaning commercial BUSINESS radios and not BROADCASTING,has done. Using the word "commercial" can and does mean "business" while the word "broadcasting" means just that. Don't jump on ME just becauseYOU don't know something.
BTW BROADCAST FM radio can operate with a much narrower bandwidth and still sound good. North America is about the only place that still uses a really wide bandwidth. Most other countries switched to a much narrower spacing for exactly the reason I stated in my first post above, more stations in the same bandwidth. I think it is around 50 KHz or so instead of the 200 KHz spacing we use. I remember listening to FM stations while overseas that would be on like 89.15 or 92.25 MHz. Then again the AM stations in those same countries use 9 KHz spacing instead of 10 KHz. It is odd listening to an AM station on 1314 or 585 KHz.
Don't pay any attention to Mack, he's just ornery especially to newcomers. You have to learn to like him.
BTW Mack, what Digger said about the FM bandwidth in other countries is true,they all prety much use a much narrower bandwidth of 50 KHz and sound good.
That's why I asked w5lz and not you and nothing you've said up to this point answers my posted question so crawl back under your rock.
And btw all the commercial FM stations here sound like dog shit compared to the old analog stations so you're wrong in that respect also.
It's in the ears of the beholder.
Chill out Mack. Actually it looks like Digger DID answer your question about FM stations. The fact that the FM broadcasters sound like crap in your area has nothing to do with bandwidth but a LOT to do with the engineers and managers that run the stations. We have the same thing up here but not quite to the extent because we do not have the competition like the big US markets do. Since deregulation there has been a vicious "loudness" war among stations in a common market. Managers think they have to be the loudest to grab the attention of listeners and "engineers", and I put that word in " " because some are nothing more than a vocational school drop out nowadays, just do what they are told.Most stations are over EQ'ed and over compressed and distorted to hell because of a lack of understanding of what truely GOOD audio is supposed to sound like. that's one of the many reasons I quit the business. I got tired of taking orders from know-nothing managers and program directors that wanted to be LOUDER and could not understand the difference between being loud and being good.
The wide FM is a carry over from when FM was first used. I think it will gradually disappear in favor of narrow FM. Primarily because the wide bandwidth just isn't necessary, and also because it will allow more 'room' for more stations.
The word 'commercial' was probably a mistake on my part. I lump 'commercial' and 'broadcast' in the same category. 'Broadcast' FM, because of the wider frequency range of music, has a probably justifiable use of WFM. If it's just for voice type stuff, NFM works just fine, since the normal frequency range of 'voice' is narrower than for 'music'. Typically, NFM can be 'cheaper' than WFM, doesn't require the 'wider range' for transmitters. That isn't all that much difference, but it is some.
I also think there's not much comparison between FM and digital stuff. Both have their uses, and they may 'over-lap', but still quite different modes. All voice modes have characteristics that make them preferable in particular instances.
- 'Doc
The word 'commercial' was probably a mistake on my part. I lump 'commercial' and 'broadcast' in the same category. 'Broadcast' FM, because of the wider frequency range of music, has a probably justifiable use of WFM. If it's just for voice type stuff, NFM works just fine, since the normal frequency range of 'voice' is narrower than for 'music'. Typically, NFM can be 'cheaper' than WFM, doesn't require the 'wider range' for transmitters. That isn't all that much difference, but it is some.
I also think there's not much comparison between FM and digital stuff. Both have their uses, and they may 'over-lap', but still quite different modes. All voice modes have characteristics that make them preferable in particular instances.
- 'Doc
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